The first acquaintance with the Xperia X10 was very fleeting and, to be honest, left not the most pleasant impressions. Pre-production samples of the smartphone were very unstable and slow. Moreover, the slowness was completely unthinkable for the gigahertz processor and Qualcomm Snapdragon platform, but in just a couple of months all the shortcomings were successfully eliminated - now the X10 works like a clock.
Main technical characteristics of Sony Ericsson Xperia X10
Form factor: monoblock
operating system
: Android 1.6 (Donut)
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 1 GHz
Memory: 384 MB RAM, 1 GB ROM + microSDHC slot (up to 32 GB) and 16 GB card included
Mobile/Data: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 850/1900/2100 MHz, GPRS/EDGE, HSDPA (up to 7.2 Mbit/s), HSUPA (up to 3.6 Mbit/s)
Screen: TFT touch (capacitive technology), 4 inches diagonal, 854x480 resolution, 65 thousand colors
Interfaces: USB 2.0 (micro USB), Bluetooth 2.1 (+EDR), Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, GPS (A-GPS)
Camera: 8.1 megapixels, autofocus, flash, video recording
Other: accelerometer (G-sensor), 3.5 mm audio output, TV output
Battery: Li-Ion, removable, 1500 mAh
Dimensions and weight: 119 x 63 x 13 mm, 135 g
Stated operating time: up to 8 hours talk time (3G), up to 10 hours talk time (2G); up to 425 hours standby time (3G), up to 415 hours standby time (2G)
Approximate price: 25,490 rubles
The specifications of the smartphone fully correspond to its positioning. The Xperia X10 supports all the necessary communication standards (for both 2G and 3G networks), has a fast processor, a large amount of memory, a GPS receiver, a spatial position sensor and a good built-in camera. Included with it is a 16 GB microSD card, a wired headset (relatively good, by the way), a synchronization cable with USB and micro USB connectors, as well as Charger. Having a capacious flash drive seems to be becoming a good tradition for Sony Ericsson– all new smartphones (Satio, Xperia X2, Vivaz) are equipped with 8-16 GB cards.
By the time of its release in April, this device will be the most functional Android smartphone in the company’s arsenal (and indeed the most functional model), that is, a flagship with a high-quality camera, a huge and very good screen, and a very interesting appearance. Maximum capabilities, high price - this is normal for a flagship. Of course, questions remain. For example, at the time of release it does not have the latest version of the OS ( Android 1.6, although 2.1 is available), there is no multi-touch. Perhaps these are the main limitations; otherwise, the device fully corresponds to the title of flagship.
It doesn’t matter how popular this smartphone will be. Flagships almost never become mass-produced; price (and size, by the way) play a role; other, simpler devices become mass-produced. Sony Ericsson X10 is a good player in its segment, the segment of top-end devices. Yes, the launch did not go very smoothly, just at this time the HTC flagship, the device, went on sale . Perhaps this is the only device with which the X10 can and should be compared; everything else is either still very far from the start of sales, or is inferior in characteristics. In total, only two of the most interesting, functional ones will be available on the market for several months Android, Desire and X10. Let's talk about them in more detail.
Comparison
It’s difficult for me to compare these two devices, since I really like each, each has its own pros and cons. Take, for example, the dimensions of the case. They are almost identical, and the weight is the same down to the gram (135 g). At the same time, in Sony Ericsson X 10 has a noticeably larger screen, 4.0 inches versus 3.7, slightly higher resolution in height (the screen is more elongated). Due to larger screen I also liked the virtual QWERTY keyboard better; typing on the X10 is objectively more convenient. Here the screen size is extremely important, it’s hard to disagree with this.
On the other hand, screen technology AMOLED in Desire Compared to TFT, the X10 wins, and significantly, the HTC screen is more colorful, brighter, and has better viewing angles. Sensitivity is approximately the same level, both screens are capacitive, with glass protection (it is worth noting that this is not glass, like some devices, but scratch-resistant fiberglass, a more common material in telephone manufacturing).
A little ahead in terms of handling HTC Desire with its optical joystick, by battery Sony Ericsson X10 (1500 vs. 1400 mA*h), memory – Desire (576 MB RAM versus 384 MB), however, the X10 has twice as much internal memory (1 GB) and an 8 GB memory card is included. Important point for me personally - sound quality, The Sony Ericsson X10 is quite suitable as a replacement player; the quality is comparable to the Nokia N97, the standard among smartphones. HTC Desire plays a little differently, but there is no big difference. But in terms of camera, the X10 has a clear advantage. There is an 8 MP matrix and video recording in WVGA resolution.
The interface is a separate big topic, I can’t compare directly Sense and TimeScape UI . The first is definitely larger - it is its own shell, which changes the entire menu on the phone. Moreover, it is colorful, convenient, with maximum number effects. TimeScape and MediaScaspe are applications that are focused on collecting information and social activities or media files. In this area they are stronger than the HTC version, and there are some unique discoveries. For example, in one click in the interface MediaScape the device will find video clips of the selected artist on the Internet and offer to play them in Youtube ; will show missing songs in the album and a list of other albums in memory; will even find all the photos that contain the desired subscriber from the phone book. In general, everyone here has their own preferences, I will not give an assessment. Let me just say that in everyday life Sense I like it better as a completely changed interface Android.
Some facts
The interface is the central part of this device; TimeScape and MediaScape are the company’s discovery; there are no analogues in other smartphones. As I already said, any (even the simplest and least functional) interface is over basic version Windows Mobile or Android is a plus. Big or not, but a plus. And the fact that X10 has this add-on, and is also really interesting, I see only positive aspects. While using the device, some shortcomings were still discovered; for now, the interface is a little damp. Compare it with new version I can’t use HTC Sense directly, they are different. Perhaps for most Sense would be preferable, yet it is a complete redesign of the basic interface, more colorful and functional, while TimeScape and MediaScape are essentially add-ons, applications.
In X10 in addition Google Maps there is turn-by-turn navigation (full navigation with tips, different modes) WisePilot. The same navigation program is in SE Satio, as well as in LG BL40 Chocolate, and many others. A clear advantage over Google Maps is that maps are stored in memory. There is no need to download them from the Internet every time.
Next, the Xperia X10 has a very convenient gallery, its own keyboard, video player, MP3 player, all of which differ from the basic Android interface. The camera interface has been redrawn, there are applications like TrackID and some other Sony Ericsson features. It immediately becomes clear that a lot of work has been done on the applications and interface. In addition, Sony Ericsson X10 has Google services, in particular Market, full set standard applications and capabilities of Android smartphones.
The device is currently running Android control 1.6 (Donut), but the company promises an update to version 2.0. There are no exact dates now, the update must be carried out while preserving the add-ons TimeScape and MediaScape , this also takes time. It is still unclear whether multi-touch will appear with an update to the OS version; I don’t know the exact answer to this question.
Design, convenience
Let's talk a little about the design of the device. The first thing to say is that the Xperia X10 is not as big as it seems from the photos. These are the dimensions Apple iPhone or HTC Desire, that is, acceptable, while the X10 screen size is noticeably larger. The weight is within the same range, 135 grams.
The design impression is excellent, the X10 looks beautiful, expensive, and Sony Style is definitely to blame here. There will be two colors available, white and black, both of which look great. The design of the back surface differs: the black device has matte soft-touch plastic, the white one has gloss. The build quality is good, the device does not creak, and the battery compartment cover has enough fasteners so that there is no play. I would like to have metal in the case, but the plastic in the X10 is of high quality, comparable to the Samsung I8910 HD, for example.
Everything is fine with the connectors: there is a 3.5 mm jack for connecting a headset, micro-USB under a plug, that is, Fast-Port is gradually becoming a thing of the past, which is infinitely pleasing. On right side There are start/shoot and volume buttons. There is only one speaker, its location is comfortable, the sound does not overlap, although it is quite quiet, sometimes it is easy to miss a call. There is a hole for attaching a strap; by the way, it is located at the bottom end.
The battery compartment cover is attached securely and there is no play. Under it there is a new type of battery (1500 mAh), as well as a slot for a memory card. Minus: to change the card you need to remove the battery, there is no hot swap.
What's under the screen: three hardware buttons. Large, with good movement, but there are only three of them, although Android smartphones usually have one more. The Xperia X10 doesn't have a useless search button, yay. The rest of the set is standard: “Back”, “Home” and “Menu”. The power off/lock button is separate, at the top end, and the call accept and hang up keys are virtual. In general, there are no problems with the controls.
Screen and text input
The main part of the front surface is occupied by big screen, and the distance to the edges of the body is very small. In fact, the screen determines the dimensions of the phone, it appearance. The screen size is 4 inches, it is elongated in length, and has an aspect ratio of 16:9. In the same iPhone screen noticeably smaller, but the device itself is comparable in size. The explanation is that the Sony Ericsson X10 has a very well thought out arrangement of control elements and their size. The buttons are comfortable, and they do not take up too much space on the body.
The screen is not recessed into the body, finger control is implied, the screen technology is capacitive, that is, a stylus is not provided. The screen is protected by a scratch-resistant fiberglass surface; this is not a thin film, as in resistive screens. Sensitivity is good, the screen responds well to the finger. What’s bad is that there is no multi-touch, and it’s unlikely to appear, although I would really like it. I really liked the quality of the screen and the brightness level. Due to this resolution, the picture looks smooth, there are no complaints. Icons, other elements, fonts are very well drawn, the interface looks neat and beautiful. But in comparison with AMOLED screens, the TFT element in the Xperia X10 loses, of course.
What about text input? Due to the screen size, it was possible to realize excellent virtual keyboard. With very large keys, with a distance between each adjacent one. In general, I had almost no input errors, and I was not at all used to on-screen keyboards. There are hints as you type, and the dictionary automatically learns and suggests the words you most frequently use. After a couple of weeks with the phone, typing text using the prompts will be very fast.
TimeScape interface
The main thing in the SE Xperia X10 interface is the TimeScape and MediaScape add-ons . Icons are on the desktop, applications can be launched or exited, this is not a replacement for the standard interface Android , but two separate additions. Or rather, MediaScape is an application for working with Photos, Videos and Music, a multimedia center, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the interface. And here TimeScape Maybe they are, there is such an option. In the settings you just need to set this interface as the default one instead of the traditional desktop Android.
TimeScape is a socially oriented interface that works with phone book, accounts in in social networks ( Twitter, Facebook and even VKontakte), by email and many other applications (the list is configured manually) and collects various information about updates. For example, statuses on Twitter, Facebook, incoming SMS and E-mail messages, missed calls and much more are displayed in the form of cards. You can view all this in a single list, then all updates will be shown on the screen, or move between individual categories for messages, social networks, and so on.I’m very pleased with the drawing, the level of animation, cards with information fly beautifully across the desktop. I'm not happy about some errors, for example in Twitter there are no spaces between words (in Russian firmware, everything is fine with English characters).
In general, as a replacement for the TimeScape desktop interface You will like it if you are completely “in” social networks. Here all updates are available in a couple of clicks, plus there are 9 desktops that contain information about calls, messages, updates to the media library, player, and so on. If you choose interface TimeScape , then you will have to give up regular widgets Android , By the way. There will be only four icons available to access the main applications.
Separately, we need to talk about the Infinity button , which is responsible for collecting information. For example, you should press it in the message card of an individual subscriber, and the phone will redirect you to the screen where all messages, calls from this subscriber, his Twitter -statuses and so on. Button functionality Infinity is much higher in MediaScape. E If, while listening to a composition, you press the same Infinity button, the device will show all the information about the artist, composition, album, other tracks from this album - in general, everything you want. Naturally, you can go to the artist’s official website and buy other compositions using the PlayNow service. Separate tab – YoutubeYoutube.
The Infinity button is also available in the gallery; for example, if you press it above one of the photos, the device will show a list of pictures taken on the same day or in the same place (geo-tag data is analyzed).
MultimediaMediaScape
MediaScape is further development Sony Ericsson multimedia menu, well known to us from all previous devices. MediaScape has become more beautiful and much more functional. There are three categories here (large icons at the bottom of the screen): photos, music, video. Accordingly, there are no separate applications for working with these categories; everything is done through the interface MediaScape.
Working with photos is simple, there are three categories: recently taken, recently viewed and favorites, you can view a single list of photo thumbnails. Each menu has horizontal scrolling, with the category name displayed at the bottom. The “Home” button is not immediately noticeable; it returns us to the main menu for working with MediaScape , while the hardware key goes to the main screen. Network photos, web albums on websites, etc. are indicated separately. Facebook.
Working with video is organized in approximately the same way, everything is convenient, sorting does not raise any questions. Such a large screen, it would seem, was created for watching movies, but there is one problem: in the X10, like in many others, Android -smartphones, no pre-installed codecs, Avi You won’t be able to watch it, not to mention other formats of unconverted video. This is definitely ahead Samsung, you can't argue with that.
With music everything is much more interesting. Did I mention that the sound quality is very good? As a replacement for the player Xperia X 10 suits me completely, they are perfectly expressed here low frequencies, the volume is enough even in the subway. Quality comparable to Nokia N 97 is an excellent level, clearly sufficient for most users. I haven't had such good impressions of sound quality in devices for a long time Sony Ericsson . There is a standard slot on top, a 16 GB memory card is included, that is, quite a sufficient size.
Player interface in MediaScape excellent, nothing to complain about here. With standard Android -I won’t compare it with the player, it’s heaven and earth. Perhaps, due to the lack of an equalizer, the player in the Xperia X10 is one of the best in terms of the number of display options, settings and convenience. Thanks to the button Infinity there is literally everything here: e If you click on it while listening to a song, the device will show all the information about the artist, composition, album, other tracks from this album - in general, everything you want. When moving between these categories, horizontal scrolling occurs. Naturally, you can go to the artist’s official website and buy other compositions using the PlayNow service. Separate tab – Youtube , where clips of this artist are collected, they can be immediately viewed either in a browser or in a pre-installed manager Youtube . In general, look at the screenshots, they say a lot.
By the way, I would like to note separately the search (an important thing if the list of songs is very long), alphabetical sorting on the right side of the screen, and perfectly implemented kinetic scrolling. Everything is fine here with scrolling speed and smoothness. So far there are problems MediaScape exactly two: Russian firmware does not yet support encodings, and the transition between different categories in the player itself is a little confusing. But I won’t talk about the second one as a problem; after a week of use everything fell into place.
It’s worth saying right away that at Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 has a proprietary TrackID application, which determines the name of the artist and composition based on a fragment of sound; this is the calling card of all the manufacturer’s phones. There are also popularity lists for each country, which songs users identified most often.
Camera
The camera in the smartphone is 8.1 megapixel, the same as in the W995, Aino is the same module. The photo quality is not the best, the module is of average quality, but the X10 is not a photo flagship. In daylight, photographs turn out quite acceptable, and the same can be said about video. The device records videos in WVGA resolution (800 x 480 points), 30 frames per second. Good video, no complaints here.
The camera interface has been redesigned, with basic Android it cannot be compared. There are a bunch of focusing modes, settings and scenes - everything is the same as other devices from the company.
A balanced product with decent characteristics, thoughtful ergonomics and expressive appearance
On the first day of the coming summer, Sony Mobile officially presented in Russia what a few months earlier the international community had the opportunity to see at the spring Mobile Congress in Barcelona. Finally on Russian market new mobile products of the next generation of Xperia smartphones were brought. The usual letter Z from the general name of the family was replaced by the letter X, so that in the updated family Sony Xperia the X and XA smartphone lines appeared.
The 4 new Sony smartphones are called Xperia X, Xperia X Performance, Xperia XA and Xperia XA Ultra. The six-inch tablet XA Ultra, by the way, is the only model in the new line that differs in screen size - the other three devices have exactly the same five-inch displays. The basis of the flagship line is balanced in all respects Xperia smartphone X, with this model we will begin to study the new family of Japanese mobile devices.
Key features of Sony Xperia X (model F5122)
- SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 (MSM8956), 6 cores: 2x1.8 GHz (ARM Cortex-A72) + 4x1.4 GHz (ARM Cortex-A53)
- GPU Adreno 510 @600 MHz
- operating room Android system 6.0.1
- Touch display IPS 5″, 1920×1080, 441 ppi
- RAM(RAM) 3 GB, inner memory 32/64 GB
- SIM cards: Nano-SIM (1 or 2 pcs.)
- Supports microSD memory cards up to 200 GB
- GSM networks 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
- WCDMA networks 800/850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz
- LTE networks FDD Band 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 19, 20, 26, 28, TDD Band 38—41
- Wi-Fi 802.11n/ac with MU-MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct
- DLNA, Miracast
- Bluetooth 4.2, NFC
- USB 2.0, OTG
- GPS/A-GPS, Glonass, BDS
- Direction, proximity, lighting sensors, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, magnetic compass, step counter, fingerprint scanner
- Camera 23 MP, f/2.0, autofocus, LED flash
- Front camera 13 MP, f/2.0
- Battery 2620 mAh
- Fast charging Quick Charge 2.0
- Dimensions 143×69×7.7 mm
- Weight 152 g
| Sony Xperia X | LG G5 se | Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge | Apple iPhone 6s Plus | |
| Screen | 5″ IPS, 1920×1080, 441 ppi | 5.3″ IPS, 2560×1440, 554 ppi | 5.5″ Super AMOLED, curved on both sides, 2560×1440, 534 ppi | 5.5″ IPS, 1920×1080, 401 ppi |
| SoC (processor) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 (2x Cortex-A72 @1.8 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @1.4 GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 (4x Cortex-A72 @1.8 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @1.4 GHz) | Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa (4 Mongoose cores @2.6 GHz + 4 Cortex-A53 cores @1.6 GHz) | Apple A9 (2 cores @1.8 GHz) |
| GPU | Adreno 510 | Adreno 510 | Mali-T880 | Apple A9 |
| Flash memory | 32/64 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB | 16/64/128 GB |
| Connectors | Micro-USB Type C (with OTG support), 3.5mm headset jack | Micro-USB (with OTG support), 3.5mm headset jack | Lightning dock connector, 3.5mm headset jack | |
| Memory card support | microSD (up to 200 GB) | microSD (up to 2 TB) | microSD (up to 200 GB) | No |
| RAM | 3 GB | 3 GB | 4 GB | 2 GB |
| Cameras | rear (23 MP; video 1080p), front (13 MP) | rear (16/8 MP; 4K video), front (8 MP) | rear (12 MP; 4K video), front (5 MP) | |
| LTE support | There is | There is | There is | There is |
| Battery capacity (mAh) | 2620 | 2800 | 3600 | 2750 |
| operating system | Google Android 6.0.1 | Google Android 6.0.1 | Google Android 6.0.1 | Apple iOS 9.0 (updated to 9.2.1) |
| Dimensions (mm)* | 143×69×7.7 | 149×74×7.7 | 151×73×7.7 | 158×78×7.3 |
| Weight (g) | 152 | 157 | 157 | 190 |
| average price | T-13486416 | T-13804120 | T-13485518 | T-12858631 |
| Sony Xperia X retail offers | L-13486416-10 | |||
Appearance and ease of use
The following can be said about the design of the device: at a quick glance, the new products of the Xperia X and XA series are practically no different from the previous models of the Xperia Z generation. All branded distinctive features preserved, the shapes and dimensions of the case are similar, the corners are still quite slightly rounded in plan, the buttons are placed in the usual places, and a paperclip is still not required to remove cards, because the usual Sony covers are used.
But, naturally, there were differences. The same lids are no longer suspended on rubber tails, as before. Now the slides are attached directly to the covers, and by pulling such a plug, you automatically pull out the holder with cards. The glass on the front panels is no longer flat, but, according to modern fashion, has rounded edges and is called 2.5D glass. All these points make the use of new Sony smartphones a little more comfortable. But the main thing is that the Xperia X and other representatives of the new generation now lie much more pleasantly in the hand, this is achieved due to a smoother transition between the side frame and the rounded edges of the glass. The back wall of the case also bends slightly towards the edges, so the edges of the side frame are completely lost and do not dig into the palm as before.
The smartphone is thin and light, its dimensions are small - Sony has decided this time to limit most of its models to five-inch screens. Due to the matte, pleasant-to-touch surfaces of the metal back wall and side frames, the device is securely held in the hand, does not tend to slip out and does not collect fingerprints. There is no Brushed aluminum effect like the more expensive one. Xperia models X Performance, but this does not negatively affect the tactile sensations from contact with the surfaces of the case. The Xperia X is also pleasant to hold in your fingers, convenient to carry in your pockets, it is less slippery than the iPhone 6, so, in principle, it does not require a case.
Unlike cheaper models of the Xperia XA series, here the body, along with the back wall, is completely made of metal. The assembly does not cause any complaints, the monolithic body is assembled with high quality, there are no cracks or irregularities to be found.
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On the front panel, completely covered with glass with sloping edges, there is a familiar set of elements: sensors, a front camera and an LED event indicator. You can also find two stereo speakers located in the front plane above and below the screen. The speakers are quite loud, and it will be difficult to accidentally turn off both of them at once, so you definitely shouldn’t be afraid of missing a call signal. Naturally, there are no hardware control buttons under the screen; Sony has long since made them virtual.
The back side contains only a camera window and a not very bright single LED flash. The camera module does not protrude beyond the surface, so you can use the device comfortably even when it is lying on a table—the smartphone will not wobble.
The Xperia X has only one card slot, it is dual, you can install two SIM cards in the Nano-SIM format or replace one of them with a microSD memory card. Sony has moved away from the practice of installing three separate connectors, limiting itself to hybrid option. In the case of 64 GB of flash memory, however, installing microSD is not very relevant - there is enough memory as is.
The mechanical buttons on the right side are placed in an unusual way: for some reason the volume key is lowered much lower than the power button, it now often falls under your fingers and is pressed when not needed. Left-handers especially suffer in this situation. But there is a separate key for the camera. The buttons have a soft and springy action, are easy to feel, and if not for the inconvenient layout, there would be no complaints about these elements.
The central flat power button habitually turns on a pad with an inscribed fingerprint scanner. The scanner works quite clearly and quickly; to fully unlock it, you need to press the button if the screen has not been activated before.
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The Micro-USB connector is located in the center of the bottom end, next to the speaking microphone hole. It supports connecting third party devices in USB mode OTG (USB Host).
At the top end there is a 3.5 mm audio jack for headphones and a second auxiliary microphone for noise reduction.
Unlike the Xperia X Performance, the review hero did not receive protection from water and dust. Sony X Performance is now the only waterproof model in the new generation of Sony smartphones. To our surprise, the strap mount on the case also disappeared.
As for the colors of the case, here the buyer has a choice of four colors: white, black (graphite black), lemon (golden lime) and copper pink ( pink gold), these colors will be present to one degree or another in all modern Sony models.
Screen
The smartphone is equipped touch screen IPS with the now fashionable 2.5D glass with sloping edges. The physical dimensions of the display are 62x110 mm, diagonal - 5 inches. The screen resolution is 1920×1080, the pixel density is 441 ppi. The frame around the screen on the Xperia X, unlike the XA series models, is quite standard: just under 4 mm on the sides and 16 mm on the top and bottom.
The display brightness is automatically adjusted based on the light sensor. There is also a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. Multi-touch technology allows you to process 10 simultaneous touches. You can activate the screen by double tapping the glass. After this, just put your finger on the fingerprint scanner; there is no need to press the power button. Supports working with the screen while wearing gloves.
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A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are better than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photograph in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens of both devices (Sony Xperia X, as it is not difficult to determine, is on the right; then they can be distinguished by size):
Both screens are dark, but the Sony screen is still darker (its brightness in the photo is 98 versus 112 for the Nexus 7). The tripling of reflected objects in the Sony Xperia X screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the outer glass (also known as the touch sensor) and the surface of the matrix (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better under strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, even better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a lower speed than with regular glass.
When manually controlling the brightness and displaying the white field in full screen, its maximum value was about 570 cd/m², and the minimum was 5.3 cd/m². The maximum value is very high, and, given the excellent anti-glare properties, in bright daylight and even in direct sun the image on the screen should be clearly visible. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. Works automatic adjustment brightness by the light sensor (it is located to the right of the front speaker slot). IN automatic mode When external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment, with which the user can try to set the desired brightness level in the current conditions. If in an office environment the brightness slider is set to maximum, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 4.8 cd/m² (dark), in an office illuminated by artificial light (approximately 400 lux) it sets it to 550 cd/m² (excessively bright) , in a very bright environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to 560 cd/m² (this is enough). If everything is also in the office, the brightness slider is at half the scale, then the screen brightness for the three conditions indicated above is as follows: 4.8, 240 and 560 cd/m² (the first value is low, the second is high). If the brightness control is set to minimum - 4.8, 4.8, 60 cd/m² (all values are too low). Our attempts to achieve a satisfactory result from this function were not crowned with success, even if in the dark we slightly increase the brightness to an acceptable level, then it still resets down and the screen becomes too dark. But other users will probably have a different opinion. Only at very low brightness levels does significant backlight modulation appear, but its frequency is high, about 2.3 kHz, so there is no visible screen flicker (but perhaps can be detected in a stroboscopic effect test).
This screen uses an IPS type matrix. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:
For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.
The screen has good viewing angles without inverting shades and without significant color shifts, even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of the Nexus 7 and Sony Xperia X, while the screen brightness is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m² (across the white field across the entire screen), and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K .Perpendicular to the plane of the screens is a white field:
Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:
The colors on the Sony Xperia X screen are oversaturated, skin tones are heavily red-shifted, and the color balance is noticeably different from the standard. Of course, you need to be very careful when assessing the color rendition of a screen from a photograph, but the trend is conveyed correctly. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:
It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, and on the Sony Xperia X the contrast has decreased insignificantly. And a white field:
The brightness at an angle for both screens decreased noticeably, but in the case of the Sony Xperia X the drop in brightness is much less. When deviated diagonally, the black field is lightened to a medium degree and acquires a red-violet hue. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same for the screens!):
And from another angle:
When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good:
The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is high - about 1100:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 27 ms (15 ms on + 12 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 47 ms. Constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, the gamma curve did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, and the index of the approximating power function was 2.18, which is close to the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve deviates little from the power-law dependence:
In this case, we did not find any dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the displayed image, which is very good.
The color gamut is noticeably wider than sRGB:
Let's look at the spectra:
They are very atypical for top mobile devices Sony. Apparently, this screen uses LEDs with a blue emitter and green and red phosphor (usually a blue emitter and a yellow phosphor), which, in combination with special light filters of the matrix, makes it possible to obtain a wide color gamut. Yes, and the red phosphor apparently uses so-called quantum dots. Unfortunately, as a result, the colors of images - drawings, photographs and films - oriented to the sRGB space (and these are the vast majority) have an unnatural saturation. This is especially noticeable on recognizable shades, such as skin tones. The result is shown in the photo above.
The balance of shades on the gray scale is average, since the color temperature is much higher than the standard 6500 K, but at least the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is less than 10 units, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, the variation in color temperature and ΔE is not very large - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (Dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
This smartphone has the ability to adjust the color balance by adjusting the intensities of the three primary colors.
That's what we tried to do, the result is data signed as Corr. in the graphs above. As a result, we adjusted color temperature, and even ΔE became lower on average. However, at the same time, the brightness (as well as the contrast) decreased significantly - from 540 to 415 cd/m². This correction, of course, did not reduce the oversaturation of colors. Enabling proprietary mode helps a little X-Reality for mobile. The result is shown below:
Excessively bright colors are slightly muted, although not enough. There is also extreme Super-vivid mode, in which, on the contrary, the color contrast increases even more. Here's what we got:
Let's summarize. Brightness adjustment range of this screen very wide, excellent anti-glare properties, which allows you to comfortably use your smartphone both on a sunny day on the beach and in complete darkness. It is acceptable to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, although from our point of view it does not work quite adequately. The advantages also include a very effective oleophobic coating, the absence of air gaps in the layers of the screen and flicker, high contrast, which does not decrease much even when viewed at an angle to the screen plane, and good uniformity of the black field. Disadvantages include oversaturated colors (skin tones are especially affected) and average color balance. The presence of appropriate adjustments allows the balance to be slightly corrected, but at the expense of a very strong reduction in brightness (and contrast). Nevertheless, taking into account the importance of characteristics for this particular class of devices (and the most important thing is the visibility of information in a wide range of external conditions), the quality of the screen can be considered high.
Sound
The Xperia X sounds more interesting than, for example, the same LG G5 se: the entire spectrum of frequencies is clearly visible both when the main speaker and headphones are operating. The sound is bright, rich, clear and quite loud - it uses two speakers located at the top and bottom of the front panel and supporting proprietary S-Force Front Surround sound technology. Individual instruments can be distinguished, the backgrounds do not merge. Bass may be lacking, but overall the Xperia X still sounds well above average.
To play music, the device uses its own player with a familiar set of settings: the user is traditionally given a choice between manual adjustment and automatic optimization all sound parameters using the comprehensive ClearAudio+ function. It includes a lot of different technologies; you can read more about this on the page dedicated to the sound technologies used in all modern top-end smartphones from the manufacturer.
There are no complaints about the conversational speaker and microphone either: the intonation and timbre of a familiar voice remain recognizable, extraneous noise practically none, the sound is thick, rich and not dull at all. There is no fault with the sensitivity of the microphones; the sound through the voice recorder is recorded clearly and is clearly distinguishable when played back; the noise reduction system copes with its tasks adequately.
There is an FM radio in the smartphone, but automatic recording telephone conversations from the line using regular funds not provided.
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Camera
The new representative of the Sony Xperia family is equipped with the same familiar two camera modules of 23 and 13 megapixels. The front camera has a 13-megapixel sensor with a 1/3-inch Exmor RS sensor for mobile devices and a 22mm wide-angle lens with f/2.0 aperture without autofocus and its own flash. Here, as for the main camera, it supports super auto mode for photography and SteadyShot video stabilization technology with smart active mode. The maximum sensitivity is ISO 6400. The front camera copes very well with both photo and video shooting; you can’t ask for better for selfies. Below are photos and videos taken with the front camera Sony camera Xperia X.
- Video No. 1 (15 MB, 1920×1080 @30 fps)
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The main camera features a 23-megapixel 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS mobile sensor and a 24mm f/2.0 wide-angle G Lens with Intelligent Hybrid Autofocus and pulse LED flash. The maximum sensitivity is ISO 12800.
All new smartphones received, as before, SteadyShot stabilization with Intelligent Active Mode, which ensures smooth shooting without distortion. And of course, we should not forget that Sony is practically the only manufacturer that still installs a separate hardware camera control button in its smartphones.
In manual shooting control mode, you can set ISO, white balance, and change the focus type. There is a five-fold digital zoom using Clear Image zoom technology.
Among the settings you can traditionally find several additional modes, for example panoramic. Among them there are also entertaining ones, such as the familiar augmented reality mode called AR effect, which makes it possible to combine real photographs with animation. Recently, the choice of options for AR has been greatly expanded. Some shooting settings can be transferred for management third party applications via Camera2 API, RAW recording is not supported.
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The video camera, quite unexpectedly, cannot shoot in 4K; here the maximum resolution is 1920x1080 - however, you can shoot at 60 fps. The SteadyShot stabilization function is noticeable when shooting on the move, and the image really becomes smooth. The camera generally handles video shooting very well: the image is sharp, bright, without noticeable artifacts, with good color rendition. At the same time, the sound is also recorded with high quality, the noise reduction system even copes adequately with wind noise.
- Video No. 2 (130 MB, 1920×1080 @60 fps)
- Video No. 3 (120 MB, 1920×1080 @60 fps)
- Video No. 4 (72 MB, 1920×1080 @60 fps)
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Good detail in the background. |
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Sharpness across the frame is good except for the area on the left. |
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Dynamic range The camera is quite wide. |
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The camera copes well with noise. |
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Nice work with shadows. |
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The license plates of nearby cars are clearly visible. |
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Sharping on the wires is practically absent. |
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The text is poorly done. Too many out of focus areas. |
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The camera copes well with macro photography, but the minimum focusing distance is too long. |
We also tested the camera on a laboratory bench using our method.
| 8 MP | 23 MP |
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Lighting ≈3200 lux. |
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Lighting ≈1400 lux. |
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Lighting ≈130 lux. |
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Lighting ≈130 lux, flash. |
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Lighting<1 люкс, вспышка. |
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We can immediately conclude that compared to its predecessor models, the camera has practically not grown. There's nothing wrong with that because the previous camera was very good. But the past shortcomings have not gone away. Despite the fact that Sony has long positioned its camera as a 23-megapixel camera, it still only works adequately in 8-megapixel mode. Good grouping/compression algorithms and a slightly smaller usable sensor area have a positive effect here. Apparently, elementary geometry prevents a sensor of this size from fully working at such a short distance to the lens, so the resulting image has to be stretched around the corners to fill the required rectangle. As a result, the monstrous distortion is “smeared” in all corners, and the program tries hard to hide it, and as a result, the corners of the frame in full-size photographs are completely unworkable - so much so that we abandoned the idea of \u200b\u200bgiving resolution values in them on the graph. At the same time, the resolution in the center is quite good, and in the case of 8 megapixels it is absolutely excellent. In addition, when converting images to 8 megapixels, many defects are eliminated, including noise. Thus, if we consider the camera as an 8-megapixel camera, we can conclude that it will cope well in many different scenarios. The 23 megapixel mode should be used only in case of emergency, if you want to capture some documentary details in the central part of the frame.
Telephone and communications
The smartphone operates in most bands of 2G GSM, 3G WCDMA and LTE FDD and TDD networks. The Snapdragon 650 SoC used here has a built-in X8 LTE modem that supports download speeds of up to 300 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 100 Mbps. The smartphone supports all three of the most common LTE FDD bands among domestic operators (B3, B7 and B20), but can also operate in LTE TDD Bands 38-40. The connection speed in 4G networks and work with cellular networks in general in the Sony Xperia X do not give rise to any complaints: the smartphone instantly reconnects after a break, does not lose connection in areas of poor reception, and produces the highest speeds in 4G in test areas where competitors demonstrate much higher speeds. worse results. In terms of communication capabilities, the hero of the review is at his best.
The device also supports Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, supports two Wi-Fi bands (2.4 and 5 GHz) MU-MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels . The Micro-USB connector supports the USB 2.0 specification and connecting external devices in USB OTG mode. The NFC module demonstrates compatibility with the Mifare Classic protocol, which is necessary for the successful operation of the “” application with the Troika transport card.
The navigation module works with GPS (A-GPS), Glonass and Chinese Beidou. There are no complaints about the operating speed of the navigation module; the first satellites are detected during a cold start within the first seconds. The smartphone is equipped with a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the compass of navigation programs operates.
The smartphone supports two SIM cards using the Dual SIM Dual Standby standard. There is only one radio module, so there can only be one active conversation. A SIM card in any slot can work with 3G/4G networks, but only one of the cards can work in this mode at the same time (the second will only work in 2G). The choice between two SIM cards for making a call, sending SMS, etc. can be done in advance or immediately before the call.
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OS and software
There were no particularly noticeable changes here. Xperia X is based on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow platform, the sixth version of Android has already been tested on previous models of the Xperia Z5 series. For the most part, only the external appearance has changed: the icons have been completely redrawn, each body color has its own theme with a similar color scheme. At the same time, the internal structure, the location of menu sections, the organization of desktops, etc. - everything remains the same.
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Performance
The Sony Xperia X hardware platform is based on the new 6-core SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 (previously called Snapdragon 618). This SoC is made using not the most advanced 28-nanometer technology. Unlike its more advanced sister, the 8-core Snapdragon 652 installed in the LG G5 se smartphone of a similar level, 6 cores are used here. The SoC includes only two powerful ARM Cortex-A72 cores with a frequency of up to 1.8 GHz and four Cortex-A53 with a frequency of up to 1.4 GHz. The Adreno 510 video accelerator with an operating frequency of up to 600 MHz is responsible for processing graphics in the SoC.
The smartphone has 3 GB of RAM and 32 or 64 GB of built-in flash memory. Out of 64 GB, the user initially has 48.6 GB of free space available. This volume can be increased using microSD cards, but then you will have to remove one of the SIM cards. It is also possible to connect external flash drives to the USB port in OTG mode. MicroSD cards are supported up to 200GB in capacity, and in practice our 128GB Transcend Premium microSDXC UHS-1 test card was reliably recognized by the device.
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Judging by the popular comprehensive AnTuTu test, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 platform is, by modern standards, in the middle segment, not in the upper segment. The flagships reign there with resulting figures from 90K to 130K points and higher, while the hero of the review scores only 75K in AnTuTu 6. There is also a gap in graphics tests, but it is not nearly as noticeable. In comparison with the related Snapdragon 652 (using the example of the LG G5 se), we did not find much difference, but this can be attributed to the twice higher display resolution of the Korean smartphone, which could partly offset the superiority of the older platform in some tests.
Testing in the latest versions of comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:
For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.
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Testing the graphics subsystem in gaming tests 3DMark, GFXBenchmark and Bonsai Benchmark:
When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).
| Sony Xperia X (Qualcomm Snapdragon 650) |
LG G5 se (Qualcomm Snapdragon 652) |
Moto X Force (Qualcomm Snapdragon 810) |
Meizu Pro 5 (Exynos 7420) |
Huawei Mate S (HiSilicon Kirin 935) |
LeTV 1s (Mediatek MT6795T) |
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| 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme (more is better) |
Maxed out! | 8847 | Maxed out! | Maxed out! | 6292 | 10162 |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited (more is better) |
18262 | 15108 | 23849 | 25770 | 12553 | 16574 |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Sling Shot (more is better) |
871 | 738 | 1098 | 1340 | — | 542 |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen) | 33 fps | 19 fps | 40 fps | 52 fps | 16 fps | 26 fps |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen) | 31 fps | 25 fps | 53 fps | 57 fps | 12 fps | 27 fps |
| Bonsai Benchmark | 4119 (59 fps) | 3515 (50 fps) | 3810 (54 fps) | 4130 (59 fps) | 3396 (48 fps) | 3785 (54 fps) |
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Browser cross-platform tests:
As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.
Thermal photographs
Below is a thermal image of the rear surface, obtained after 10 minutes of running the battery test in the GFXBenchmark program (the lighter, the higher the temperature):
Heating is slightly more localized in the upper part of the device. At the same time, a large area with approximately the same temperature suggests that the case distributes heat well from heating components. According to the heat camera, the maximum heating was only 36 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), which is relatively little.
Playing video
To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.
According to the testing results, the test subject was not equipped with all the necessary decoders that are needed to fully play most of the most common multimedia files on the network, in this case, audio files. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, it is also necessary to change the settings and manually install additional custom codecs, because now this player does not officially support the AC3 sound format.
| Format | Container, video, sound | MX Video Player | Standard video player |
| BDRip 720p | MKV, H.264 1280×720, 24 fps, AAC | plays normally | plays normally |
| BDRip 720p | MKV, H.264 1280×720, 24 fps, AC3 | The video plays fine, there is no sound | |
| BDRip 1080p | MKV, H.264 1920×1080, 24 fps, AAC | plays normally | plays normally |
| BDRip 1080p | MKV, H.264 1920×1080, 24 fps, AC3 | The video plays fine, there is no sound | The video plays fine, there is no sound |
Further testing of video playback was performed Alexey Kudryavtsev.
We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Methodology for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices) 720/24p
Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes Green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with playback of the corresponding files.
According to the frame output criterion, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames - with the exception of files with 60 fps, in in which case approximately two frames per second are skipped. The reason is the atypical screen refresh rate of approximately 58 Hz. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (1080p), the image of the video file itself is displayed one-to-one pixel by pixel, exactly along the edge of the screen and in true Full HD resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235: all gradations of shades are displayed in shadows and highlights.
Battery life
The capacity of the non-removable battery installed in the Sony Xperia X is not so large by modern standards - 2620 mAh. However, the device demonstrates a surprisingly high level of battery life in all standard tests and in real-life usage scenarios. The smartphone is really capable of lasting two days even with active use, and this is good news.
In addition, it is worth mentioning the Qnovo Adaptive Charging technology used in new Sony smartphones, which monitors the state of the battery while charging. This smart technology monitors and analyzes cycles and their schedule, independently adjusting the charging current. For example, if the program understands that the smartphone is usually set to charge for a long time (say, all night), then it reduces the current, allowing the battery to charge in a more gentle mode.
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Testing, as usual, was carried out without using any power saving functions, although the device has the familiar Stamina and Ultra Stamina modes.
| Battery capacity | Reading mode | Video mode | 3D Game Mode | |
| Sony Xperia X | 2620 mAh | 15:50 | 9:00 a.m. | 5 h. 30 m. |
| LG G5 se | 2800 mAh | 13:20 | 8:30 a.m. | 4 hours 20 minutes |
| Alcatel Idol 4s | 3000 mAh | 12:00 pm | 8:00 am | 4:00 am |
| Moto X Force | 3760 mAh | 16:30 | 10:00 am | 4 hours 40 minutes |
| Huawei Nexus 6P | 3450 mAh | 15:00 | 8:30 a.m. | 4 hours 30 minutes |
| LG Nexus 5X | 2700 mAh | 14:30 | 6:00 am | 4:00 am |
| LG G4 | 3000 mAh | 17:00 | 9:00 a.m. | 3:00 am |
| OnePlus 2 | 3300 mAh | 14:00 | 11:20 am | 4 hours 30 minutes |
| Google Nexus 6 | 3220 mAh | 18:00 | 10:30 a.m. | 3 hours 40 minutes |
| Meizu Pro 5 | 3050 mAh | 17:30 | 12:30 pm | 3 hours 15 minutes |
Continuous reading in the Moon+ Reader program (with a standard, light theme, with auto-scrolling) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted more than 15.5 hours until completely discharged. When continuously watching videos from Youtube in high quality (720p) with the same brightness level via a home Wi-Fi network, the device lasted at least 9 hours, which is not so much. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone operates reliably for 5.5 hours.
Unfortunately, the test unit arrived for testing without the included charger, and this is sad, since it should charge the smartphone faster. Sony Xperia X supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 technology. From a regular third-party network adapter with a maximum output current of 2 A, the device charges in approximately 2 hours 20 minutes with a current of 1.5 A. The device does not support wireless charging.
Bottom line
Xperia X is the first model from the new family of Sony smartphones that officially goes on sale in Russian retail. Such a device in modification with one SIM card is priced at 40 thousand rubles, and with two - at 41 thousand. Xperia X is a smartphone of a well-known brand, balanced in all respects, with a high-quality screen, sound system, hardware platform, communication capabilities, a high level of autonomy, excellent ergonomics and a recognizable appearance, because of which many fans continue to treat the products of the Japanese company with love and respect . Most of the disadvantages characteristic of Sony smartphones in the past (not always high-quality displays, for example) are gradually being corrected; now there is practically nothing to complain about. Among the shortcomings of the new product, we can perhaps only note the disappearance of water protection, but in reality, most users find it unnecessary, and those who really need protection can always turn their attention to the top model in the line - Xperia X Performance.
The combination of the largest screen diagonal, an 8-megapixel camera, and high-quality build in one device gave reason to believe that this was the salvation of Sony Ericsson from problems. The communicator will give an impetus to development and show the market that the manufacturer has not only ambitions, but also a real reason to regain its lost position among high-end phones.
And not just means of communication, but devices designed for communication in all possible ways, be it the usual voice communication or correspondence on social networks and blogs like Vkontakte or Twitter. Sony Ericsson has created its own shell, designed to improve the ease of use of such services based on the growing popularity of communication between people in a similar form.
Appearance
The X10 can be considered one of the largest devices, the dimensions 119 x 63 x 13 mm are predetermined by the large screen diagonal, which, however, did not greatly affect the thickness of the phone: although it is not a leader in this parameter, at the same time the dimensions are quite reasonable . Although for some, a smartphone of this size may seem unnecessarily bulky. But almost all the space is allocated for a large screen, so the size of the phone cannot be considered a disadvantage; the space is used wisely and justifiably.
The phone weighs 135 grams, which is also quite acceptable for a device of this class. The device fits into jeans, but it’s not easy to fit the device into skinny trousers, and it sticks out. Still, its place is more likely in a jacket pocket or in a bag. There is no need to talk about the breast pocket of the shirt.
XPERIA is sold in two color options, available in white (Luster White) and black (Sensuous Black) colors. The review involved a sample of dark colors, neutral and universal. Personally, I like the black version better - it has a back cover made of a pleasant, rough soft-touch material, unlike its light-colored counterpart, which uses a back panel made of easily soiled and glossy material. The design and beauty of the blinding white color is, of course, great, but I stand for practicality; a black phone feels nicer in the hand, and it is also more durable, which is also a plus.
The phone has deliberately angular shapes of the front panel, they create a kind of brutal image of a “male” phone, which can be safely called as such, based on its straight lines and respect-inspiring dimensions.
On the front panel, at the very top, there is a small semicircular cutout into which the earpiece fits. If you look closely, you can see a couple of small holes, where the sound itself comes from. Light and proximity sensors are hidden under the black plastic. In addition to them, there was also a place for an indicator that notifies about a low battery.
Under the large screen, which has eaten up almost the entire surface, there is a strip of three keys that have practically merged into one single key. The buttons resemble metal in their color, but in reality they are plastic. The button travel is small and distinct, pressing is pleasant.
The first key calls up the function menu, the second one returns to the desktop, as well as activates the running application manager (you need to hold down this button for a few seconds), the last one returns to the previous menu item or exits the program. Between the buttons there is a pair of bright LEDs of unknown purpose - they do not notify about missed events, they are mostly decorative.
Taking the X10 in your hands and turning it around, you can notice and feel that it has slightly beveled side edges. In addition, the back panel is slightly curved - the signature Human curvature style in action, all for the convenience of the phone owner. And indeed, it would be inconvenient to hold a neatly planed “brick” in your hand - it seems like little things, but they add up to such a complete picture.
At the top end there is a micro USB connector covered with a plastic plug in the color of the case, suitable both for connecting a charger and for synchronizing the X10 with a computer. In the center you can see a hole for a 3.5 mm jack for connecting both the supplied stereo headset and any of your own headphones. And here is the screen lock button. It is made of silver plastic, has an oval shape and protrudes just a little beyond the body. The phone was obviously designed by a right-handed person - the index finger of your right hand finds this button itself and rests directly on it when you hold the phone. For left-handed people, pressing the key is no longer so convenient.
There are no controls on the left side.
On the right side of the phone you can see a large paired volume button made of silver plastic. It feels good, the clicks are clear, and it’s comfortable to use. And below, on the same side, there is a button to turn on the camera.
Along the entire body of the phone, along the side perimeter, there is a sparkling silver stripe, decorating the strict black panels.
The back cover is made of soft-touch plastic, rough and pleasant to the touch. It allows you to avoid scratches and abrasions, and does not mark at all, which can also be attributed to its advantages.
The panel has a cutout for the camera lens and illumination lamp, and is also printed with branding for the greater delight of the owner.
Removing the panel is quite simple - you just need to pry a fingernail into the notch on the bottom end of the case and pull it towards you. You will see a battery that blocks access to the SIM card and flash memory. There is no hot-swappable microSD card.
The X10 is assembled with high quality, there is nothing to complain about here, except that perfectionists may be somewhat annoyed by the slight crunching of the back cover, just when you squeeze the phone in your hand.
Screen
The X10 boasts a 4-inch capacitive screen with a resolution of 854x480 pixels. A TFT matrix is used, showing up to 65 thousand colors. This limitation is due to the software features of Android 1.6, which is not capable of producing a larger number of shades.
In the sun, the X10 demonstrated normal behavior - naturally, the picture is not so bright, but the data is readable normally, no worse than on the Galaxy S. The merit of the X10's mirror substrate is obvious.
There is a brightness sensor, the phone can independently adjust the backlight level, if this option is selected in the menu, the brightness reserve is quite enough for any purpose. The proximity sensor turns off the screen when the phone comes close to your face during a call. Thanks to the built-in accelerometer, when you turn the phone on its side, the image on the screen changes orientation from vertical to horizontal.
Separately, we can mention the dirtyness of the front panel, which is a headache for the owners of such devices. The X10 does not use any special coating; the front panel gets dirty quickly. The display is protected from scratches by a fiberglass coating.
Platform
The Qualcomm QSD8250 platform with a 1000 MHz processor is used, 384 MB of RAM is available, 1 GB of data is available for internal needs, of which about 450 MB is available to the user. The smartphone comes with a 16 GB microSD memory card.
Menu
Using Android 1.6 together with the original shell from Sony Ericsson makes using the device more convenient than using bare Android.
At the top of the screen there is a service line, which displays the time, battery charge, and signal reception level indicator. Active connections and other data are also displayed there. If you click on a line, you can find out in more detail about what programs were downloaded, what messages and letters were received, or what files were received via Bluetooth.
It is possible to use both pre-installed images and personally added files as design elements. In addition, shortcuts and folders are placed on the desktop. Sony Ericsson hasn't forgotten about widgets; they can also be added to the desktop.
Elements that have become unnecessary can be easily removed from the screen - just hold your finger on them for a few seconds and drag them to the bottom of the screen.
The Application Manager is activated by the Home button. It displays six programs and is not really a traditional task manager. As you know, Android closes applications on its own, based on the amount of free RAM. Not all, but many applications cannot be exited; you can only minimize them. So the phone remembers the last 6 launched applications and allows you to quickly return to them using the same button.
When the screen is locked, the display shows the date and time. To unlock the screen, you need to slide your finger along a semicircular line from left to right or vice versa, the user can choose the method convenient for himself: the semicircular line rotates around its axis.
In order to enter the menu, you need to pull your finger on the triangle located on the bar at the bottom of the screen. The menu is presented as a 4x5 list of icons, ordered by name, and kinetic scrolling works.
Phone book
The general list shows stored contacts both in the phone memory and SIM card, as well as data from your Google account.
When creating a new contact, many fields are created - these are various types of phone numbers, email addresses, means of quick communication (AIM, ICQ, Gtalk, Skype and others), residential addresses and everything else (nickname, birthday, automatically added to the calendar, the note).
Contacts can be divided into different groups, which are assigned an individual signal. By marking contacts at your own discretion, they fall into a separate category - this makes it easier to communicate with a certain circle of people.
What I especially liked was the search using Russian letters. Android devices have a list of letters of the alphabet located on the right side of the screen. If you press your finger on this line and move down or up, a letter will pop up on the screen - a kind of quick search, which helps in cases where the phone has several hundred, or even thousands of contacts. So, on the majority of devices on this system, the search only works using Latin characters. In X10, search by the first letters of the contact name works for both language layouts.
In the top line, above the search field, you can enter text status messages for social networks.
Call log
You can access the call log directly from the phone book - it is highlighted in a separate tab. There, a single list contains dialed numbers, received and missed calls.
All telephone conversations are included in one list, but only incoming, outgoing or missed calls can be displayed. The time and date of the call is shown.
Dialing is carried out using a convenient virtual keyboard. By viewing your call history, you can not only make a telephone conversation with the selected subscriber, but also send him an SMS or an email from this list without going to another menu.
Messages
For SMS and MMS there is a common folder where received messages go. When sending, adding various objects to the SMS can automatically convert it into an MMS.
Messages are grouped by recipient into a correspondence feed. Search works inside the message archive.
When dialing a subscriber's number, the phone displays a list of matching numbers in alternating numbers. When printing text, a small field reserved for characters will be displayed. The longer the message, the more the space allocated for the character set increases. The device can copy, cut and paste text (not only into the messages themselves, but you can also add it to a document or email).
The communicator allows you to use several types of keyboards. This is both a mini-QWERTY keyboard and a full-size one, available in horizontal screen orientation.
Predictive text input is available, where word correction and auto-completion systems help you type text at a brisk pace, allowing you to avoid wasting time correcting errors. Possible word options are shown in a separate line above the keyboard.
To work with email, the mailbox is automatically configured (if it is not Gmail, which connects immediately after the email address is entered during the initial activation of the phone). It includes entering basic information (login, password). The phone perfectly understands various encodings and supports loading attachments in familiar formats.
When creating a letter, you can also attach various files from the device memory to it. The function of copying text and automatically checking the mailbox works (the interval is set manually).
The device simultaneously runs two applications - Gmail and Email. The only difference is that in the first, mail comes only from the gmail.com server, while the second application works with any mail storage.
You can create multiple email accounts, each with its own color. This is convenient because you can view mail for each mailbox separately, and display messages from all accounts in one. And in it you can already see which box it came to - you just need to remember the shade. Sorting mail by date, subject, sender and size works.
Camera
The X10 uses an 8.1 megapixel CMOS module with autofocus and LED backlight, which replaces the flash: it either lights up from the moment it is turned on or does not work at all. The maximum image size is 3264x2448.
The interface works in both portrait and landscape orientations - this is an interesting exception to the rule, usually only working in a horizontal position is adapted. The screen displays icons that help you set up photography modes and conditions. 5 small icons are displayed at the bottom - the phone shows the latest pictures taken.
Various options are available:
Image capture mode: normal, scene detection, smile detection, touch screen capture.
Photo size: 8 MP, 6 MP, 2 MP (4:3 or 16:9).
Shooting conditions: normal, portrait, landscape, night photography, night portrait, beach and snow, sports, party, document.
Focus mode: single focus, multi-AF, macro, face detection, endless.
White balance: auto, indoor lighting, fluorescent, daylight, cloudy.
Measurement: center, middle level, point.
Geotagging is turned on, the shutter sound is adjusted (you can turn it off), image stabilizer is set, the timer is set, and other settings are changed.
In terms of the number of megapixels, X10 is a clear leader; no one has such a number of figures. However, the question is not in quantity, but in quality. If during daylight hours the pictures turn out to be quite decent, then in cloudy weather the advantages of the camera are not so obvious. But, in general, the level of the resulting images allows us to classify the X10 as an “Android phone” with the highest possible image quality, and there are not many of them.
 Video size: WVGA (800x480), VGA (640x480), QVGA (320x240), multimedia message (320x240), YouTube (640x480).
Additionally, shooting conditions and focus mode are set. The settings are similar to those used when taking photographs.
Gallery Sony Ericsson went their own way when creating a device for active and sociable people, giving users two shells: Timescape and Mediascape. Timescape combines tabs that combine messages from various social networks: Facebook, Vkontakte, Twitter. In addition, there is data on phone calls, SMS and MMS, email, photos, and songs listened to. All panels can be merged together - presented in one long common list.
Messages are presented in the form of translucent panels on which the name of the sender, the text of the message itself, as well as the source where the message came from are written.
The background is customizable, several theme options are available: dark blue, orange, green, blue and pink.
In general, the thing is beautiful and interesting, the main drawback is related to the not very beautiful design - if the author of the message has an avatar, then this image will be displayed stretched across the entire width of the transparent panel. The animation works quickly, no slowdowns or delays - excellent optimization. Mediascape, as its name suggests, aggregates content related to multimedia data. So it is, photographs and pictures, videos and music are collected here. Music The music tab consists of several sections: recently played, recently added, favorites, top tracks, recommended. The last 2 sections are created based on the content generated by the Play Now application. The smartphone can independently download album covers from the Internet.
In the upper right corner there is a “Next” button; clicking on it takes you to the music library itself. It also has several bookmarks: recently added, favorites, artists, albums, tracks, genres, playlists, podcasts, audiobooks.
Alas, you cannot display categories at your discretion in the Timescape main menu, which is not very convenient - you need to once again go deeper and look for the desired category. Search by media data works. The list of tracks shows the album cover and the number of tracks in it.
The player's sound is good - the device is pleasantly different from the general mass of Android devices, but at the same time it does not reach the leader of the Galaxy S segment in terms of audio. The good mid-frequency range frightens with the vague depiction of the lows, which creates the impression that they are illusory and unnatural, which, however, can also be said about the highs. A classic example of a player with average characteristics, but for the Android segment it’s a joy – there aren’t very many devices with good sound yet. There are no equalizer settings, which didn’t particularly disappoint me - I prefer the standard settings. With the beloved Shure SE530, there was plenty of volume reserve, while with the included headphones, the owners of the telephone player may not have enough power; they will have to listen to songs at the maximum capabilities of the device. The video library is organized according to a similar principle: videos are shown lined up with a small preview image of the initial frame of the film. The file name and duration are also indicated. The player works in both portrait and horizontal orientation; you just need to turn the phone on its side and the picture adapts to the new position.
The screen displays a scroll bar and player control keys.
There is no support for playing unconverted video. Moreover, the X10 compressed for a portable device () reproduced with artifacts - stripes were periodically shown on the display. This somewhat surprised me; similar files were displayed without problems on Android devices of a lower class, with a weaker processor. Photos For images, the same principle of data ordering applies. There are several categories on the home page: Recently Viewed, Recently Taken, Picasa Favorites. To view the rest of the content, you need to press the button at the top of the screen, which will take you to the gallery, where groups formed from folders with pictures will be shown. Images are shown as previews, four in a row. Clicking on the icon expands the image to the entire display.
Due to the lack of multi-touch, zooming works only using a couple of buttons that appear on the display. Pictures can be uploaded to the network on various sites, and also assigned to a contact or sent by mail, MMS or Bluetooth. In addition, you can arrange a slide presentation.
Browser The browser works in both horizontal and vertical screen orientations. Scaling works using virtual keys that change the size of web pages; the browser interface itself is clear and convenient.
At the top there is an address bar, next to it there is an icon, clicking on which adds the page to bookmarks. A number of browser settings help you set the necessary parameters that are convenient when working with it.
At the bottom of the screen, an additional menu is called up in the form of a sliding panel, which allows you to open new windows (the browser supports the function of simultaneous work with several pages involved) and switch between them. You can also refresh the page, view bookmarks and perform some other functions (text search, disabling images to reduce data consumption, copying data, viewing downloaded files, and others).
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